Male and female factors associated with infertility among couples attending an assisted reproductive technologies clinic in Harare, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Characterising causes of infertility is crucial to inform interventions that maximise chances of conception. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, we analysed records of 276 couples who visited an ART centre in Harare to determine the proportions of male and female factor infertility. We summarised categorical variables using percentages and determined associations between male and/or female causes of infertility and exploratory variables using the chi-square test. Around 67% of men had abnormal spermiograms; the commonest were oligoasthenozoospermia (28%) and teratozoospermia (24%). Around 65% of women had female factor infertility. The odds of female infertility were higher among women who reported irregular menstrual cycles (OR=2.26, 95% CI: 1.14-4.47). Overall, 111/267 (42%) of couples had both female and male factor infertility. We observed high proportions of male and female factor infertility. Timely access to fertility assessments is likely to maximise ART and pregnancy outcomes. This will require policy interventions to remove financial barriers to accessing ART services.